Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for generating an application of an image forming apparatus, and in particular, relates to a layout technique for a screen to be displayed by the application.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an image forming apparatus has been widely used including various functions such as copying, scanning, faxing, or document management. Such image forming apparatus may also be referred to as a “multifunction machine” or a “multi function peripherals (MFP).”
In order to enable these functions to be used, a manufacturer creates an application and installs the application in the image forming apparatus in advance. The application fixedly installed in advance in this way may be referred to as a “native application.”
Further, a web browser has been included in the image forming apparatus. It has become possible that various services are received by accessing a web server with the web browser and causing the web server to execute a web application.
In addition, a technique has been devised that is referred to as an “internal web server (IWS)” for providing a function of the web server to the image forming apparatus. A user or a company other than the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus can create a web application by using a well-known language (for example, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), JavaScript (registered trademark), or Python) to install the web application in the image forming apparatus, and cause the IWS to execute the web application. The application executed by the IWS may be referred to as an “IWS application.” In addition, a screen displayed by the IWS application may be referred to as a “custom screen” or a “customized screen.”
Extensibility of the function of the image forming apparatus can be improved more easily than before, by providing the function of the web server such as the IWS in the image forming apparatus.
As a technique of the web server in the image forming apparatus, the following technique has been devised (JP 2011-197968A). The image forming apparatus includes a display section, a web browser for displaying hypertext type information on the display section, and a hypertext type data input/output module accessible from both the web browser and a web browser of an external device. The image forming apparatus determines whether access to the data input/output module is made via the web browser incorporated or the access is made via the web browser of the external device, and, depending on the determination result, creates different display data and transmits the created data to the web browser.
Further, a tool such as a user interface (UI) builder or a graphical user interface (GUI) has been widely used for laying out the custom screen. As for such tools, many objects (for example, a button representing a key) each associated with an application program interface (API) function are prepared in advance. A developer can lay out the custom screen by arranging a necessary one from these objects.
However, with a conventional tool for laying out the custom screen, there may be a case in which, for some API functions, an object is not prepared associated therewith. In addition, there may be a case in which a function for which the API function is not prepared is included in the image forming apparatus.
Therefore, with the conventional tool, there may be a case in which the custom screen for using a necessary function cannot be created.